A&M Records

Sting in Alachua County on his first solo tour in October 1985

 After writing about Dark Horse Records, I went to Wikipedia and clicked on their original distributor A&M Records and found that the label would be relaunched. However, no sources such as Billboard, Rolling Stone, NME, Variety or the like were cited, making this a mere rumour, as Wikipedia can be unreliable if anyone can just put something up, making Fleet Street look like Utne Reader. A&M has been largely dormant in recent years, especially since the late '90s when PolyGram were sold to Universal. The former bought A&M, Island and Polar a decade earlier. In the US, A&M were clustered with Interscope and Geffen. The split between Universal Studios and Music Group in 2003 changed things further. Octone moved from J/BMG to A&M after the old BMG launched their JV with Sony in 2004 and Maroon 5 would eventually appear on Interscope. Sting has been carrying the torch of A&M since he was in the Police in the late '70s and only a few classical releases are on sister label Deutsche Grammophone (he'll be in Syracuse again in April with Billy Joel). Rick Wakeman had a solo deal with A&M coming out of the Strawbs, but it complicated what he could do in Yes at first, and A&M didn't always support his decisions, and he left the label and Yes in 1980, despite personal issues at the time.

Polydor UK did relaunch A&M on their end once and signed Duffy (on an equally brief reboot of Mercury [not counting Nashville like with MCA] across the pond). Jim Diamond released his first two solo albums on A&M, yet put out his fourth on Polydor, which could either have been to complete the old deal because an A&R left, or was an unrelated new one. His widow would have to answer that.

Supertramp would work their way up to become of the biggest successes for A&M. Roger Hodgson would stay on his own after leaving in 1983 for the first couple solo LPs before a long hiatus. The Carpenters safe as houses sound brought gold and platinum despite their Karens eating disorder. Amy Grant blazed a trail for the Lord being between A&M and Christian label Myrrh making her catalogue more available and becoming the cross-over queen. The Canadian branch had Bryan Adams, Gino Vannelli, Andy Kim, Susan Jacks, Terry Jacks, Bruce Cockburn, Véronique Béliveau, Jann Arden; Sharon, Lois & Bram; Fred Penner, and Raffi (even the Cancon kiddie scene counts). The boys tried to sign with A&M, but were turned down (their loss). Styx and Supertramp were the biggest international acts at the Toronto arm and overall in Canada since the Beatles and Elvis Presley, I would suppose.

I gave you the Cliffs Notes version of A&Ms history, yet we need something that confirms a new one is about to start. The label has a rich legacy and you'd never think it was technically indie in the old days.

Dedicated to the memory of Jerry Moss, who would have been proud to see the label return, despite the two legal rows he and his former colleague Herb Alpert have had with the two subsequent owners over its corporate culture (Alpert moved his lot to a new label since then).

George Harrison remasters and Dark Horse Records: 50 Years On

George Harrison at the Princes Trust appeal, 1987.

 George Harrisons family signed a deal last year with BMG to move distribution of his solo label Dark Horse Records and administration of his publishing. His old friend Bob Dylan started the trend (even though he outright sold his work). A few reissues have already come out, primarily on vinyl, such as the first two solo releases Wonderwall Music and Electronic Sound on limited edition picture disc, to straight reissues of the last couple Cloud Nine and Brainwashed. The newest is Living in the Material World 50th Anniversary (albeit a year and a half too late, but it can only "Be Here Now" [where oasis got the names of both that and "Wonderwall"]). Getting more praise now like his former colleague John Lennons solo album from 1973 Mind Games, expanded last year by their Sean, which was underrated when the elder Lennon and Harrison were both still alive ("You know how it is," the former would say).

One reviewer said that All Things Must Pass had been done enough. However, because of the new contract, one must consider that like Paul McCartneys solo and Wings output prior to 1975, it is no longer on Apple (although his first two had licenced it for new LP reissues for old times' sake). Back to Harrison, his triple smash could either do the same thing, or it would be like in 2001 less than a year before his passing when it was remastered with a new design and was neither on Apple or Dark Horse, but on a one-off vanity label called GnOM (you'd have to look it up, and it was the last solo reissue in his lifetime). The more recent edition would be out again with the new information, but Apple could be loaned out just like Parlophone is with Beatles proper reissues for up to 1967 since EMIs sale in 2013.

Late 1974s Dark Horse album may be next. Named to fill the void since Harrisons old deal wouldn't be done until January 1976. Rolling Stone slated the tour and he never lived it down. His voice was a state. I wonder if Peter Jacksons MAL AI technology could be used to do up a live show if a recording made by Harrison himself exists, coming after Get Back and "Now and Then", or if a decent bootleg is available since it technically can be claimed. Live albums used to have studio overdubs in those days, but this is something Live at the Star Club is reportedly getting (that'll be considered for a future post).

1981s Somewhere in England could have an expanded edition because a number of songs were declined by then-distributor Warner Bros./WEA (Warner Music Group), which were only available later as B-sides, remaster bonus tracks, on Sothebys-rare limited edition CD EPs that came with a book, or on bootlegs (the diehards get it). Their Dhani has his work cut out. There may be even more in the vaults.

Then there's the complication of compilations. The Best of George Harrison was supposed to be the best of both worlds (largely the old guard), but was just a sendoff by EMI to compete with Thirty-Three and a Third in November 1976. The Best of Dark Horse: 1976-1989 is the only one he approved of and is long out-of-print and has no Beatles tracks whatsoever. Let It Roll was a posthumous release. It would be having to licence Beatles tracks from Universal, Apple or Sony (Concert for Bangladesh versions outside North America because of Dylans [on Columbia US/then-CBS, yet on sister label Epic] return to the stage and industry policies at the time, as well as for pre-1968 publishing). Even a new collection could be considered.

Dark Horse in recent years returned to its original vision of signing other people. Joe Strummers estate (The Clash) and Billy Idol are two of the latest to join the fray. Reissues of past artists like Splinter, Henry McCullough (Wings), Keni Burke and Stairsteps, Attitudes and Ravi Shankar (we can't forget him, of course) should be explored, although some already are reissued, so I'm just catching up here.

Absolutely no ChatGPT was used. George would be very concerned about AI if he were still with us, I'm quite sure. He probably would have approved of it being to used to clean up the audio, but not to replicate voices and instruments, because that's what people are afraid of, and Ringo had to assure everyone that John wasn't being imitated by a bot, because it's not like the "new" Steve Marriott album (which is a mockery at a level even Yoko wouldn't stoop to, but we won't go there today). I just know that Harrisons legacy is in capable hands and will continue to bring in new generations of fans.

REO Speedwagon: REO-gate

REO Speedwagon in happier times (cliché, I know!) at Red Rocks, CO Capital Region, 2010

Sjgkfe, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

 Seems that it's never too late for a band to have problems. Just as oasis come back, other bands fall apart, particularly ones from before thirty years ago I grew up seeing in the charts and on MTV & VH1. It's like a marriage that ran its course, A trite comparison but it's true. REO Speedwagon are no stranger to this, and now they're on the way out because of a row over bass player Bruce Halls medical recovery and frontman Kevin Cronin. A similar situation occurred twice in the late '90s with their friends Styx and contemporaries Journey, as well as Yes less than a decade later, so it's not uncommon, especially as one gets on in age. The jury are out on this one. We've just seen Hall & Oates and Janes Addiction become Behind the Music material (now on Paramount+, sister streamer to MTV and VH1).

 Remaining founding member Neal Doughty stopped touring in 2022 and I saw the band for the last time and without him last year, and it wasn't the same. I also learned co-founder and original drummer Alan Gratzer is originally from Syracuse. I didn't go the year before because I couldn't afford to go to that and Elton John, who was wrapping up his life on the road, and his bass guitarist Matt Bissonette (Greggs brother) has just taken over for Hall to boot. I just didn't go this year also because I had to cut back on shows like a lot of people are on less essential activities in this economy. Perhaps the spirits of Gary Richrath and the more recently departed Gregg Philbin told me not to go this time as they turn in their graves over this. I might have even skipped Cronins birthday this year because of how he allegedly stabbed his longtime colleague in the back or I'm focussed on other bands and priorities right now. We're riding a real (two in the south at the time of this writing) and proverbial storm out here. It'd be too easy to throw in some Gene Shalit-style puns to what is a sad end to a nearly six decade legacy that started in the Champaign-Urbana area at uni in the bar scene and became an AOR-corporate rock punchline to many. We're all experienced at being human and life is one big Pandoras box. Terry Luttrell from the 1971 début (later of Starcastle) and would-be vocalist Greg X. Volz (who joined Petra instead, who I once liked, while Cronin returned after the Mike Murphy period in 1976) found the Lord.

  It's a right shame to see a band I've known for over forty years' time since I was very young get to this stage so far along, but let's hope they can sort out their differences so they can end the band with some integrity and dignity for the sake of the fans.

UPDATE: The final lineup will now tour under Cronins name. They will tour with Styx and Don Felder (late of Eagles) in summer 2025, including Syracuse (Styx were in the same boat on a river, while Felder had left, but says never checked out of his old band).

The last REO proper show I attended at the NYS Fair

Downsizing in desperate times

Just some of what's left (some empty space)

 Like many people these days, I'm struggling to make ends meet, and have too much at home I don't need anymore. Between bills and taxes, it's hard to keep up on a limited income. I hired a solicitor to look into the tax situation. I don't typically discuss my personal life like this, although one can relate. It's after reading some clickbait article that hit home is when it was time to take stock and decide which of it can go to the shop. What they didn't take went to Atlanta-based app decluttr via ups, even though they pay twopence since I've used them several times. There are so many CDs I just don't listen to anymore. They are taken off my collection on Discogs of course and it shows how much I've spent over the years. The first two goes barely add up to $100, but it's better than nothing. Also, recent events brought family to town for the time being, and the social are coming over soon to boot, so I have to tidy up, even though I started to before the unexpected occurred. Usually I bring things in for store credit, but I need the cash to whittle down debt. I had been filling up boxes and crates with dozens of titles. Had to channel my inner Suze Orman and Marie Kondo sacrificing what had been sitting around for a year or so. Racks have been filling up the wardrobes. They're obviously not made for that. Trying to break a cycle. Who I have extra of that can go are tagged (even the boys). If I have the LP, then I might not need the CD unless it has bonus material or is rare. I spent a right fortune over the years, but changes in the past few years meant having to transition what I like to do. If I ever have to move house again, I really would have to cull since I would most likely go to a flat or somewhere smaller. Just not how I pictured my life, but no one does having to face challenges everyday. I'll be lucky to get $100 from all of it, since vinyl is a bigger priority now, and I only have so much of that to give up. I may be getting something in the post, but I'm not too sure. We all know there's no such thing as overnight.

You can also support me here. The ones who paved the way for that are also tagged. In any case, I know this won't last forever, but you think it will when you're in the middle of it. My grandparents' generation survived the Depression and WWII, so we'll get through this too. Life and the economy has hills and plateaux like anything. I just need to be better with priorities during this midlife crisis of mine.

Boris's latest list

Three Magnum CDs on the list (had to make do)

    Once again, Boris's list has been revised, and so much has been acquired, added and deleted since the last one was made three years ago, so many artists are no longer needed (even if I find them too late). I received this before I put it here, and found one by a group who will remain nameless, then found an autographed CD by a recently departed member of a band of another era. Anyway, I need to find a few more before sending out another package by the festive period due to the complicated method and high cost of P&P. The list has changed even more as a dozen or so more titles have been deleted as they were no longer needed, which is a relief since they are rare in the US. A few more were thrown in. We can't send anything to each other right now because of financial difficulties as well as changing events in both of our countries. I have a better shot at finding Muse again since they're remotely more well known here. I also might not have as much time to go on the road when new things start for me in 2025.

 A.................................................................................................................

Amenophis: Amenophis

Anyones Daughter: Adonis

Alcatrazz: No Parole from Rock 'n' Roll

           Dangerous Games

Amorphis: Elegy

          Am Universum

Anaphema: Eternity

Anglagard: Hybris

B..................................................................................................................

Blind Guardian: Tales from the Twilight World

               Somewhere Far Beyond

C..........................................................................................

Celtic Frost: Vanity/Nemesis

Cornwell, Hugh (The Stranglers): Nosferatu (w/Robert Williams)

Classix Nouveaux: La Verité

Creatures (Siouxsie and the Banshees): Hai!

Camel: Rain Dances

D.................................................................................................................

Daturana: Crossroad Man

Dax, Danielle: Blast the Human Flower

Dio: Strange Highways**

            

                    

E.......................................................................................................................

Eloy: Ra   

Electric Family: Ice Cream Phoenix

                 Royal Hunt

                Echoes Don't Lie

                Family Show

Escape with Romeo: Samsara

                  Emotional Ice Age

                  

F..............................................................................................................

Fischer Z:World Salad

          Kamikaze Shirt

Freedom Call: Crystal Empire

             Eternity

             Beyond

Fargo: Geli

G..................................................................................................................

Gong: Time is the Key

(Ian) Gillan (Deep Purple): Mr Universe

Gamma Ray: Power Plant

            No World Order

            Empire of the Undead

Gryphon: Red Queen to Gryphon Three

H.............................................................................................................................

Helloween: Keeper Of The 7 Keys - III (The Legacy)

Heavens Gate: In Control

              Living in Hysteria

Hackett, Steve: At the Edge of Light**

Human League: Reproduction

Hypnos 69: Legacy

I.............................................................................................................................

Iron Savior: Iron Savior (1997)

            Unification

IQ: Are You Sitting Comfortably?**

   Ever**

    

J..............................................................................................................

Jane: Here We Are

      Lady

      Between Heaven and Hell

      Fire, Water, Air and Earth

Japan: Obscure Alternatives

K.....................................................................................................................

L.....................................................................................................................

Lake of Tears: Forever Autumn

               Black Brick Road

               Moons and Mushrooms

               Crimson Cosmos

Lacrimosa: Testament

                               

M............................................................................................................

Mad Max: Rollin' Thunder

Manowar: Gods of War

         The Lord of Steel

         Into Glory Ride

         Hail to England

Magnum: Chase the Dragon**

       Brand New Morning**

       Into the Valley of Moonking**

        Escape from the Shadow Garden**

        Lost on the Road to Eternity**

       Kingdom of Madness**

Manfred Manns Earth Band: Masque

Mamas Boys: Power and Passion

Michael Schenker Group: MSG (1981)

N..................................................................................................................

New Trolls: Concerto Grosso #1

Novalis: Banished Bridge

         Novalis (1975)

Numan, Gary: Berserker     

Nazareth: The Catch

          Cinema

          

         

O..................................................................................................................

Osibisa: Woyaya

Osiris: Osiris (1981)

OMD: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (1980)

Oldfield, Mike: Man on the Rocks

P............................................................................................................

Phillips, Anthony: The Geese and the Ghost*

Pell Mell: Rhapsody

           Moldau

R.................................................................................................................

Rockets: Galaxy

        Atomic

Rhapsody: Dawn of Victory

         Symphony of Enchanted Lands, Part I

Rousseau: Flower in Asphalt

Running Wild: Brotherhood

                        Death or Glory

                        Pile of Skulls

S................................................................................................................

Sweet: Off the Record

       Waters Edge

Stratovarius: Elements, Part 2

             Episode

             Visions

             Infinite

Seventh Avenue: Southgate

                Between the Worlds

Stranglers: Dreamtime (2001 edition)

Siouxsie & the Banshees: Juju

Space: Deliverance (latest edition)

Sparks: Hippopotamus

       Gratuitous Sex & Senseless Violins

Saunders, Lee: A Promise of Peace

Saga: Saga (1978)

Sisters of Mercy: Floodland

Stewart, Rod: Foolish Behaviour

T...............................................................................................................

10cc: Look Hear

      Ten Out of 10

      Windows in the Jungle

TV Smith:  Coming In to Land

           In the Arms of the Enemy

            Land of the Overdose

            Misinformation Overload

Toyah: In the Court of the Crimson Queen

U..................................................................................................................

Unheilig: Puppenspiel

         Von Mensch zu Mensch

UFO: Obsession

V..................................................................................................................

Viva: Dealers of the Night

Virgin Steele: Invictus

               The House of Atreus (Act I & II)

               Visions of Eden

W...................................................................................................................

Wood, Roy (Wizzard/ELO/Idle Race): Mustard

Wire: Chairs Missing

Wintersun: Wintersun (2004)

          Time I

Y...........................................................................................................

n/a

* I would like this as well.

** I have this already.

.........................................................................................................

Tickets, Touts, and Taylor

David Gilmour at the Peter Green Tribute Concert, 25/2/20

 When oasis announced their reunion tour, fans made a mad rush for tickets, even though they were hundreds of pounds, and they were slated for it. Even worse, touts were already reselling them for even more, so the band are putting a stop to it by making the tickets exclusively for who bought them, just as Kate Bush had a decade ago for her rare residency at the Eventim Apollo (formerly Hammersmith Odeon). On the contrary, her old friend and mentor David Gilmour is about to have his own tour, and  when I looked at downstates dates coming after another event in the tri-state I would like to attend (story for another day, but I'd stay at the same hotel to save time, even if I'd be on the tube late at nights, or run into his former colleague), one was sold out, and the other a right fortune. Ironically, when I went to an article on Pearl Jam (who boycotted Ticketmaster in 1996) and there was a link to a third-party reseller, both dates were available and had seats at a remotely doable price and distant location in the arena. Last time I went there or the region was to see Paul McCartney. He and Peter Gabriel (you can connect the dots by now) were at Taylor Swifts concert in London a while ago (the old guard come to her). Swifties seem to spend less by going overseas than trying to see her in the US. I know it's too easy these days to write about missus, but even she's a scapegoat of the Live Nation/Ticketmaster monopoly. I'm lucky to get to one name show this year, which is Duran Duran back Upstate at the casino, but I'd have to win the pools well before that since I need time to plan and pay for the lot. I also have to see what they're doing with the Fairfield County do the night of Durans own show at the Garden because it can be too much and they're not that close together since it's a big area. Like most people at this stage, essentials come first in this economy before even considering hols or big shows anywhere.

oasis: 30 Years On

oasis at the Patriot Centre in Fairfax County, VA (DC area); 20/12/08

 The return of oasis after fifteen years time is something many fans hoped for, but thought would never happen. The volatile relationship of Liam and Noel Gallagher has long been a sticking point. Reports of a tour next year are coming out now with ticket prices reaching as much as thousands of pounds. Nothing about a new album has been announced yet. More as this develops.

Ralph Records

Beatles CD-Rs on Ralph Records

 Today at a car boot sale, I came across a box of pirate CD-Rs that were free to take. It had needle drops of artists such as Barbra Streisand, Graham Nash, Focus (I have to get the official one for Boris, of course), Carly Simon, the Mamas & the Papas, Hermans Hermits, and maybe the Bee Gees for that matter just to name a few. They're on a label called Ralph Records, a division of "Antarctica Group, Ltd.", which doesn't exist. There was a real indie label called Ralph Records in the Bay Area known for the cult band The Residents. Not much is known about this other Ralph Records, who make Beatles bootlegger Dr Ebbetts look like Peter Jackson (who worked on Get Back). I picked up Jolly What! with Frank Ifield, who passed away this past May, and The Savage Young Beatles, the first US release of the Tony Sheridan sessions (also not official, while the ones that were came out on two separate labels with lesser known groups mixed in). Like real reissue labels such as Friday Music and Air Mail Archive, Ralph imitate the original label almost to the point of parody. Not much can be found on them. The covers were printed on Kodak inkjet paper. Someone went to great expense to make all of these, only for these to be on the house, making Babs at the charity shop look like a ticket to her fundraisers (she or pretty much any artist would go mad if she saw one of her albums like this). If it was something out of print, maybe, but many of these weren't really that rare. The CD-R seller in Madison County I wrote about some years earlier has nothing on this. Even though I have the Beatles tracks on better sounding official and unofficial CDs and LPs, I never had the original LPs, which were considered cash-ins during Beatlemania in 1964, along with cover albums by other artists and novelty records. As for all the CDs, they have scans of the original sleeves. I am on this sellers e-mail list, so I know where he'll be next, which is likely the record fair I know now held on NY 173 in Taunton, so I could grab a handful more if anyone wants some, since this sort doesn't seem to gather that much interest. These are too good to just donate or even have binned. You can't legally sell them, of course. There were also some CD-R bootlegs, but I just took a couple ELP ones, and only one works. As for Ralph, this may just be some little operation over twenty years too late.

CNY Hall of Fame

SU alum Lou Reed at the Hop Farm Festival on 2/7/11

 Link

Queen Sign £1B Deal

Freddie Mercury and Brian May live at the Coliseum of Richfield, OH; 1977

 Queen have just signed the largest buyout deal in the business worth over a billion pounds. Sony will own the name, likeness, publishing, masters, and such, but not the live aspect. In the US and Canada, they will remain with Disneys Hollywood Records for the time being, whom they signed with while Freddie Mercury was still alive. Everywhere else, it may be a couple years before the catalogue appears on Legacy, Sonys reissue imprint. Not sure if it will also appear on Columbia or Epic like AC/DC have when they moved their international distribution over in 2003 (Mercury had one solo album on Columbia in 1985, or CBS outside North America until 1990, and John Deacons early band The Opposition once were signed to CBS before the deal fell through). This could also include solo and related releases. This ends Queens on-again, off-again relationship with EMI (they signed to Island in 2011, only for Universal to buy EMI a couple years later, moving the band to Virgin EMI and ultimately back to their old label, although Parlophone went to Warner, who also own their original US label Elektra). Vinyl reissues are big now, and I just need a few studio, live and compilation ones, as well as solo, including Roger Taylors spinoff The Cross (2018s boxed set The Lot was CD only). This is the latest of the sales started by Queens new Sony stablemate Bob Dylan in 2020 primarily of artists of that generation (it backfired for Hall & Oates), yet some later ones have also cashed out. I know this story is old news by now, but I can elaborate further as a longtime fan and knowing enough about the industry. It will take a period before anything materialises with new information.

Fish, Frogs and the Future

Fish at the Ramblin' Man Fair in Maidstone, 2018.

 Fish has announced his retirement for next year. He will also close his label Chocolate Frog Records. He said he would sell the rights, likely getting on the bandwagon started by Bob Dylan and just peaked by Queen. Fish already sold his share of his Marillion tracks from 1982-88 to Primary Wave, one of the leading independent music companies who have Stevie Nicks, Def Leppard, the late Olivia Newton-John and many others on their roster. Primary Wave could have Fish's solo catalogue on their label as they have the Cambridgeshire-born Australian legend in a deal she signed before she passed. Fish only just reissued his first two albums on LP and CD. He has expressed the difficulties of dealing with the manufacturers and the post after Brexit for EU fans. He and his wife Simone have been running the label themselves and have been moving house to the Outer Hebrides from Midlothian. They have been downsizing like many people their age. I'd love to buy the LPs except for the first, which I have the original of already, but the fish here aren't biting! Going to see him is even more elusive than his former colleagues coming to the US again since it's not like forty years ago. We'll just have to keep an eye on things for the next year and a half and see where this goes.

Identity crisis

Fish in Franken Germany; 2018. Courtesy Stefan Brending/Wikimedia Commons.

 If an artist or group has a common or generic name, chances are someone else will have it too. Before the internet, that was the case. If one makes it big, the other may contact their solicitors and settle out of court. I wrote a similar post years ago on our sister retail blog. In recent years, when I try to look up some people, I find mp3s from the wrong ones, who may not realise that the "real" one even exist. Spinoffs and disputes over use of the name by former members isn't exactly what I mean since that's a different post entirely. These are the ones I know off hand, but there are tonnes more out there.

Asia (my Asia settled with lesser known mid-West band and lesser knowns come up for mp3s)

Duran Duran (there are an obscure band called Duran Duran Duran)

Fish (pictured; can even be confused with Phish)

Tony Banks (once found an unknown artist with same name)

Ray Wilson (same)

Justin Hayward (there's also a DJ)

Brian May (Queen guitarist and late Australian film composer)

Roger Taylor (drummers for Queen and Duran Duran, which would probably have caused issues back at EMI)

Rush (even the boys have some chancers that are really fly by night calling themselves that, as well as Big Time Rush [please!], Mahogany Rush [also Cancon], Tom Rush, Jennifer Rush, films called Rush)

Savoy (can also get mixed up with Savoy Brown with late Oswego County resident Kim Simmonds)

Jim Diamond (was once a Diamond Jim out there)

PhD (his duo had to contend with a hip-hop one)

Bandit (his earlier band with AC/DCs Cliff Williams and Kate Bush's husband Danny McIntosh)

Status Quo (not to be confused with hip hop artist Stat Quo or song from High School Musical)

IQ (you have to have one to know who the real one are)

Jadis (even them, but could even get conflated with character on The Walking Dead)

Pallas (founder Graeme Murray originally called his band Rainbow, but that's in the same boat)

Magnum (I recently got a CD from the wrong Magnum, which I got rid of)

INXS (was once a shop in the Mohawk Valley)

Visage (was spa run by my doctor likely stopped by Steve Stranges estate if not the state)

Genesis (was once obscure band in the US at the same of the one I know being formed and another in Colombia, and also the late Genesis P-Orridge)

Alan Williams (because of others with the name, the one I used to know used the name Al Chantrey)

Toyah (not to be confused with Toya)

Slaughter (Clark County and Canadian bands)

X (US and Japan)

The Beat (Paul Collins's Beat and The English Beat)

Earth, Wind & Fire (not to be confused with Earth Fire, who Boris wants me to find)

Cinema (short-lived Yes spinoff settled with other Cinemas after becoming Yes proper again)

Tony Kaye (original Yes member and fellow UK pat and director)

Jon Anderson (not to be confused with country artist John Anderson)

Michael Jackson (even the King of Pop had two others with the same name)

Joe Jackson (his dad and the pop/jazz artist)

Paul Young (solo artist and late Sad Café/Mike & the Mechanics vocalist)

Rainbow (Ritchie Blackmores band; original name for Pallas; Sissy Spacek once recorded as Rainbo)

Velvet Underground (band with SUs own Lou Reed; early band with AC/DCs Malcolm Young)

Vanessa Williams (SU alum, Melrose Place co-star [both did Soul Food], and gospel artist)

Bush (UK and Canadian bands)

Jadis - More Questions Than Answers

Fair use of image for critical review. Courtesy Jadismusic/Amazon.com. Designed by Geoff Chandler (Garys brother)

 Jadis's new album, More Questions Than Answers, lives up to its name! Their first in eight years' time, the band are in classic form, since I was able to preview it on YouTube. It's just getting the album that has become elusive. I was planning on getting it on amazon.com with my usual $5 off from Bing (almost £4), but once I had the gift card, the site ran out of copies, even if that bi-weekly discount barely covered P&P or VAT. Frontman Gary Chandler told me in an e-mail that they're still under the radar four decades after he started the band and that he doesn't have a full-fledged setup for getting out product. I thought he had a deal with RSK, who distribute Jadis' former and IQs (founded by current member Martin Orford) label Giant Electric Pea. I did tell Chandler that his modus operandi is not unlike that of Fish with his label, which he'll close next year, but that's for another day. It's not like the old days of selling tapes or LPs out of the boot of your car or in the post since the internet has opened more doors in the past few decades, including Pandoras! On that note, no one has put mp3s up officially or unofficially (to Orfords relief) just yet. Not even a pirate CD, since I have none from Jadis at this time. A few third-party dealers put the CD on amazon, and a couple more have on Discogs. Even Barnes & Noble would have carried it on their site (you have to spell the first the words as one, probably to avoid confusion with other things, but that just makes it harder to look up. I had less trouble finding Robbie Williams LPs at my local B&N!). The band have had a deal with InsideOut in the past, which helped get a few of their albums in shops more easily, even when it was a true indie. The new one I wound up ordering direct or through BandCamp (a haven for artists who used to be with or could never get signed to the big boys, yet that site claim to just have a four track promo). It may have set me back a little, but it cut out the middle man. Not sure if it went out yet when I wrote this or it was sent out with no tracking number to cut costs. I don't even think Nad Sylvan gave me that when I ordered from him a few years ago. I got his autograph on two separate orders, while I got the bands on Medium Rare by surprise (the same thing happened with Sylvans boss Steve Hackett) without even trying.

Once fans get their copy, it'll be worth the wait. Now if only the bands solicitors could get others with the same name to change it (Magnum and Pallas too, but those "other bands" may not even realise the "real" ones exist just because of how generic the names are. Same with Fish, IQ and even the boys Rush (that's for another post similar to one on the sister blog).

Yes - Mid-Hudson Civic Centre

Yes later in 2010 in Paraguay

Show was on 2/2/10. I used to live several miles north and it brought me back to the area after a decade away. This was only bumped up because there was no image until now. This would be the last time I would either go to the mid-Hudson Valley or see the band again (as Benoît David and Oliver Wakeman had left the band after that, and Chris Squire and Alan White are no longer with us, while I'd see Steve Howe three more times in Asia, including six months later in Rochester). Setlist.fm has the right order.

Setlist (in order of original release except *):

Siberian Khatru*
I've Seen All Good People*
Astral Traveller
Yours is No Disgrace
South Side of the Sky
Heart of the Sunrise
And You and I
Onward
Machine Messiah
Tempus Fugit
Owner of a Lonely Heart
Masquerade/SH Solo TBD
Roundabout*
Starship Trooper*

Dropped:

Clap
Mood for a Day
Aliens Are Only Us from the Future
Close to the Edge
Soon
Parallels
Awaken
Long Distance Runaround

This was my third time seeing Yes, the second with Benoît David and Oliver Wakeman (and the bands second time at this spot). The was smaller than the last two places I went to, apparently because it's a small town. I used to live in the area, so I came in on the train.
There were just a couple minor flibs, but no one noticed. It wasn't 100% full, but people of three generations came. A lot of people were having drink standing up at the side of the auditorium.
I've accepted Benoît enough that I picked up his other band Mystery's CD before the show and paid $20 US. That's another story. However, I still hope things are patched up with Jon Anderson in future, as we all do. Or maybe he can't handle these long tours anymore. He's an old man now.
I had to leave just as the last song finished to catch the bus, but I didn't miss that much.
The old guard still have what it takes and you won't see them at over-60s anytime soon! The local press still mention all three as original members. Of course, we know better! Oliver came more into his own. Just wish his vocoder sounded better on "Tempus Fugit". Benoît makes the songs his own. Some people still slag him off (excuse my language!).
Overall, I give it an A-, and a good time was to be had by all.
Because there was no studio album to promote, the merchandise table had solo albums instead, akin to the 1976 tour. I bought Beneath the Veil of Winter's Face from Mystery (Benoît David) I already have (Alan) White and Fish Out of Water (Chris Squire). Holding out for Homebrew 4 (Steve Howe) on emusic.

Prom-enade

 

Prom fashion show from 2015 with our Michæla (second from upper right), taken by Poppi

    If Rolling Stone can branch out, so can I. I've posted more than once about my prom experience in bits, and I've tried putting it on Facebook, Bored Panda and Nextdoor, but it just isn't as effective, and they just disappear like they would on X. This site is more designed for such an article.

Like many people, I didn't get to go to prom in high school when I was the age of these kids (I didn't even realise my niece Michæla had like her folks had [my sister is her mother]). My grades weren't the best to say the least, we probably couldn't afford to have me go too, I didn't dress up that nice in those days, and I had no desire anyway. Not long after that, I transferred out of town to another school for a period, but I wasn't sure if prom was held at that stage, although I later learned it was before I went, and occasionally since after changing direction. There were other dances and events held throughout the year however. Prom never crossed my mind at that point either. I'd be lucky to get a reunion with anyone from that era, but that's for another day. Just one with people who attended before I was born.

It took all the way until 2015-16 for me to finally regret having missed out on junior prom and senior ball after looking on Syracuse.com or seeing it around. Can't recall what triggered it, yet many things came into my life quite late and some still have yet to occur. Only just went to my first two weddings just before that (again, for another time). I thought I would be trying to come up with a prom for others who also were denied that rite of passage they seen on TV or movies, or saw their friends and families get to embrace. Turns out that has been a thing for some time. Drew Barrymore is said to have paved the way since even she's in the same boat as me, but didn't finish school, and put together a couple do's and went on one of the chat shows, so when her two girls are older, she can take them to get their dresses for their big nights. In recent years, adult or second chance proms have been held nationwide.

Here's the list of all the post-traditional proms (we can change the narrative here) I have attended:

1. Singers Karaoke Club • Syracuse, 21/5/16 - My first one nearly two decades late!

2. Singers • 20/5/17 - Last one until this year

3. Wholely Grounds at the Road • 14/4/18 - NY 175, Onondaga Hill (had to dig up the calendar since everything is lost to obscurity)

4. Marriott Syracuse Downtown • 10/3/19 - Charity family event held in grand ballroom upstairs*

5. Wholely Grounds at the Road • 13/4/19 - They closed in September (I just know that the event wasn't right before Easter), Alice in Wonderland/Charisma Records theme (final one at this location)

5a. Studio 54 • 21/6/19 NY 5, downtown - I didn't really stay long because of delays and the hours*

No events in 2020 because of the pandemic, of course.

6. TK Tavern • 16/10/21 Camillus (original location), Salt City Collective (Meetup group) - Also the closest thing to a second chance homecoming in CNY since this occurs more during that season, although I'll consider setting up something with that name since I missed out on that as well

7. Sharkeys Bar & Grill • 23/7/22 CR 57, Liverpool (Bayberry) - Clay Panthers Pop Warner football team fundraiser*

8. TK Tavern • 2/10/22 - Salt City Collective; moved the next years event after fire in January 2023

9. St Josephs Catholic Church • 20/5/23 - W Genesee St., Camillus*

10. Brewerton Centre for the Arts • 24/6/23 - US 11, Brewerton*

11. Ukrainian National Home • 14/10/23 - S Wilbur Ave., Tipp Hill - SCC new location (may be just the one time)

12. Singers • 8/6/24 - Full circle (only one in town at the same time as the regular kind this year; Hollywood Nights theme [I don't always remember those, and they're hard to come up with since many are overdone like Gatsby])

*One-off and/or not held again since

Younger people who didn't have prom a few years ago because of COVID can now attend since it's usually at the local or at least serving drinks (I don't drink). They make a great fundraiser if anyone needs to raise money and are held year round nationwide (yet you may still need GoFundMe just to bankroll the budget to hold the event unless you can find sponsors). I would get a right headache from a regular prom today at my age listening to todays Top 40! I don't need to be prom king or even have a date (been stag all my life). It's never too late. I'd consider holding a second chance homecoming in the fall since no one has had one here yet and I didn't get to go to that either, even though some may call it prom lite (semi-formal could even be that). There should also be one just for senior citizens since I don't know if one was done here before either. Why just let the kids have all the fun? Now if I could only get to one of theirs just to see it in person, noise or no noise (I have managed to get downtown for ones held there and see them head inside since the pavement is public property).

UPDATE: Salt City Collectives prom for October went the way of Glastonbury and took the year off due to the organisers personal commitments. To think Singers pulled an oasis and the other is gone now. Someone else has one on 30 November, but it's too expensive, and they don't even let you know where it's held until you pay for your ticket. Even if I get the money, I don't know. I'd rather wait until spring anyway, when the traditional sort is held in this country. I'd look into the homecoming one since those are rarer. Perhaps SCC could start having it in March-June before they have to compete, even though I'm lucky to get the one anymore. I've been spoilt. By October, I've shifted focus to the other tradition.

FYE/Transworld locations

2014 Connecticut location; courtesy Mike Mozart

 Link

Magnum

Magnum, 2005; Göteborg, Sweden. Courtesy David Nyrén.

 Magnum are another band that are elusive in the US that I'm adding to my collection. The recent death of lead songwriter and guitarist Tony Clarkin as well as several titles being on Boris's list for the past few years has brought them to my attention. I wrote about the Marillion bootleg using the cover for Magnums 1983 album The Eleventh Hour! earlier. Now it will take time and a fortune to get their CDs for both of us (I managed two for him so far). Amazon of all places don't have everything to buy at a doable price or to stream. One third-party seller had three CDs and I just ordered one, and my bi-weekly gift card from Bing saves me hundreds every year. Finding the band in person is extremely rare, and I've had less trouble with other artists who couldn't Payola their way into the chart here. If I ask at the shops, people might confuse them with Magnum PI (mom loved Tom Selleck!) or even Yngwie Malmsteens Magnum Force (we've done them already). The real Magnum have occasionally been available locally with recent releases, but it looks like another wild goose chase, and I may need to rent a storage unit if I ever move house again. Will also have to throw in spinoff Hard Rain and solo Bob Catley. Even Jadis took less than a year to find. Magnum may be the biggest challenge yet, even though other people we like still have albums I can't afford or find to this day. This is have to be done in bits.

Also, several albums are out of print and need to be remastered, so that will have to be sorted at a later time. I managed to get almost half the studio releases in the latest package for my own collection, but this will take months to just get the rest of those before I even begin to consider live albums, compilations, vinyl and side projects.

Genesis Reissues

Daryl Steurmer, Mike Rutherford and Nic Collins; 25/3/22, London

 Genesis jumped on the Baby Boom-era buyout bandwagon that began with Bob (Dylan) and sold their publishing and masters to Concord. Just a couple months ago, their back catalogue was reissued on CD on Rhino, which is part of Warners, who own their longtime US/Canada and Phil Collins's solo label Atlantic. While the rights are now under Concords counterpart to Rhino, Craft Recordings, I thought that the indie powerhouse would have the CDs as well as new LPs be distributed by Virgin, once the bands international and Collins's UK solo home and now Universals distribution division for independent labels, of which the original Virgin was until it was sold to EMI in 1992 so Richard Branson could keep his airline from entering administration and compete with British Airways.

 While it takes a period for these buyouts and transitions to bear fruit, I found out when I saw a new CD of A Trick of the Tail at Barnes & Noble. Then saw on Discogs that most of the studio albums are now available on the new label. Now we wait for new LPs, even though I just need the last two because they originally came out in the '90s, when fewer people bought them anymore, and later albums and editions can be expensive, new or used. The first two albums are an exception. From Genesis to Revelation has been reissued a thousand times and was not owned by the band. Trespass is still controlled by Universal in North America as they are the successor to original label ABC (until the sale, it was under the same roof globally). Then the label designs since there's no scans of the new versions available and I have all the old CDs from different parts of the world, so unless the original release had a custom label like Duke, could the Charisma Alice in Wonderland one be used (Universal and Warners have licenced each others labels for Beatles and Syd Barrett reissues since EMIs split in 2013). Then there are the live albums and compilations (including boxed sets), as well as solo releases from the three longtime members. Now we wait and see which of their peers will cash out next.

Retrospect Records: A Retrospective

 

Logo appears under fair use and label may no longer exist. Courtesy Discogs.

    Retrospect Records, an indie label and seller based in Las Vegas and St George, UT, seems to have gone out of business. They were once one of the biggest independent metal labels in the world. I also knew them for selling used CDs like anyone else. They offered bootlegs and Russian pirates, as well as artists not easily found in the US like Gary Moore and Magnum (which led me to write this). I've bought IQ, Pallas, Yes and solo Rick Wakeman for myself and Queensrÿche and maybe Billy Squier for Boris (I would've bought even more if money weren't an object!). Whether the pandemic or just the economy since did them in, it's an all too familiar scene these days across the board. As a label, they may not have had the resources that even other indies have. Fish and his label are one thing since there's no one else on it. Retrospect are another since they signed dozens of obscure artists like Mystery (not the French Canadian band I know, since generic names can mean two or more people with a conflict).

    Like a regular news outlet, I reached out to the owner for comment, something I don't typically do. I simply asked what happened as a past customer and not as a blogger. I haven't ordered from them in over ten years time and they haven't had anything new since at least April of last year. The owner told me that he stopped renewing his subscription to the host service, thinking it wasn't worth a bother anymore. Even a free service is not on. We'll just have to let this one go as there are plenty of other places to order from and there's nothing on the label even worth reselling if you ask me.

Marillion: Childhood Mysteries

 

The cover that was meant to be

    Marillion played Castle Donington in Leicestershire in August 1985 on an all-star bill that included ZZ Top (on their Afterburner tours Europe leg), Bon Jovi (not yet that big, promoting 7800° F), Metallica (between albums) and Magnum. Whether Marillions show was soundboard, radio or just the typical fan recording is likely one of the mysteries! It's when it made it onto bootleg is what leads us here. One early edition looked more like an early '70s head shop release with a cheap photocopy cover with what looks more like a drawing Peter Nicholls from IQ. Another looked like an apple of some sort. The most common is what may drawn intrigue for nearly four decades for diehards of both bands. The label probably tried to come up with something at short notice comparable to Mark Wilkinsons fantasy style, so they decided to steal another designers sleeve. Rodney Matthews drew the cover of Magnums 1983 release The Eleventh Hour! It was originally released on Jet Records, Ozzy Osbournes former solo label, and his estranged father-in-law the late Don Arden ran it and would have sorted out whoever nicked the sleeve if he knew! On one of the Facebook groups, a fan showed his copy of the LP that Fish signed. I had Bill Bruford sign a King Crimson pirate CD, but that's a bit different (we've done that).

    Magnums lead songwriter and guitarist Tony Clarkin, who passed on 7 January this year, didn't like his own band being bootlegged (most people wouldn't). The last thing he'd want is for the cover of one their studio albums being used for another artists bootleg. When I bought it a few years ago in my area at a great price, I didn't realise at first until it said so on Discogs. I had an earlier Marillion drawing combining elements of Script for a Jesters Tear, Misplaced Childhood, Brave and Marbles (the last two from the Steve Hogarth era), but the original disappeared a long time ago and I'd have to see if it's still online somewhere. I went to the charity shop and bought this bordered paper and coloured pencils, originally for a promotion next door at the coffee shop for St Valentines Day (they got one of my cats!). I also had some pastels for bits that couldn't be pencilled in. I was trying to make Robert Mead, the youngster on the Misplaced cover in the style of Loren Bouchard (Bobs Burgers/The Great North) because I don't draw people too often. He turns out similar to The Great Norths Moon since they'd be the same age and have the Will Byers (Stranger Things since it's that time period) look to boot!

    I have Magnum to get for Boris and I wouldn't have heard of them if not for the list. I may look into them myself. The Eleventh Hour! isn't on it, but he could get it for me since I may not find it on my own since little of theirs came out in North America in the old days. If part of the cover is missing when it comes, I'll just photocopy the bootleg and cover up Marillion parts with bits of scrap paper. Even band photos of the show would have worked better once it was on CD, although it'd be a matter of getting cameras past security (video ones even more so once they were more versatile for the consumer market long before mobile phones could do all this and the internet), yet several photos were taken and are available. One could hide tape machines somehow. They scan for such things and even have clear bag policies in some venues today, yet people can still get these made if they have the knowhow and connections. It was still the Wild West in the '80s, and more of a challenge by the '90s as artists and venues became more strict about this. At least I could put to bed this anomaly of a bootleg cover.

Here are the tracks anyway. No Kayleigh or Lavender.

Tim Finn: Through the Years 1983-93

Tim Finn at WOMAD 2014. Courtesy Warren Smart, 15/3/14.

 Tim Finns first solo album Escapade just had its fortieth anniversary last year, but he did not leave Split Enz until it came out, since he still appeared on Conflicting Emotions, but not See Ya Round (yet returned for the last tour for over a decade). It's just that there's now enough to put in a 5 CD mini-LP boxed set, which can be rounded up with a rare 1993 performance at the Borderline in London to promote Before & After, which closed the original Capitol contract that started in its own right with 1989s Tim Finn (which allowed him to join their Neil in Crowded House for 1991s Woodface).

 Universals acquisition of much of EMI in 2013 would put much of the catalogue together, such as 1986s Big Canoe on Virgin (which EMI bought in 1992). A&M (see Wikipedia for more because it gets too easy for me to do the Cliffs Notes) only released Escapade in North America, probably as part of a contract clause. Later albums would be released through EMI or Universal before the sale, but Finn owns the rights to those now, and he and his management Commercial Music Group would likely decide on those reissue rights. 1995s Finn (one of two albums by the brothers in neither band) only just got a remaster, yet the licence is through BMG (on CD) because of Fleetwood Macs deal there, which Neil joined in 2018. Tim Finn trying to licence if not get back the masters of the first ten years of his solo career would be a feat to do this himself since Fish and Camel were lucky to even reissue their first albums on their own indie labels, but those are for another day, but you get the idea now.

 The idea here is for Universal to put the early solo albums in one package. Plan B would be for Edsel/Demon/BBC to have a limited edition boxed set like they have for every vintage of Kiki Dee (coming out of Elton Johns shadow), or even Memorandum Recordings in Australia (Raven Records went out of business last year, and I can't find something comparable for Australasian artists). Vinyl remasters would be nice too, and just have a few thousand would cut costs, even for a Record Store Day run before they disappear or get touted (you know how it is). While Tim Finns albums can either be streamed or even purchased online or found in shops for not too much money, they deserve to be back in print and given updated treatment which is long overdue like for tonnes of other people.

UPDATE: Escapade will get a remaster on CD/stream/LP on 23/8/24 from Warner Music Australia (which absorbed Festival Mushroom Records). Only could find the original US LP near me.

Black Sabbath: The Tony Martin/IRS Years Boxed Set 1987-95 (not 1991-92)

Forbidden era photo issued by label and agent for press and media, 1995. Later used for budget compilation.

After being out of print for nearly two decades, Black Sabbaths albums with Tony Martin will finally be reissue and in a boxed set. There was red tape for management and the solicitors to sort out, which held up the release the past few years, but these long overdue remasters will finally be available on 17 May from BMG. The Eternal Idol from 1987 may not be included as that was the last release from the old contract with Warner Bros in the US and Canada and Vertigo/Phonogram for international (the band would return to those labels at different points [Dio reunion on Reprise, final Ozzy one in 2013] with reunited other lineups). Glenn Hughes (who also recorded two non-Sabbath albums with Tony Iommi, which Seventh Star was supposed to be until the label forced a compromise) and the late Ray Gillen (later in Badlands) went to Phenomena, as had Martin once (we've done Ian Gillan), while ELOs Bev Bevan, who was part of the Born Again tour, had a cameo on Idol, thus he and Martin are the only non-original former members from the Birmingham, West Midlands area (even if Beven never was used in full capacity in Sabbath compared to most other past members).

This upcoming release however will likely focus on albums originally from Miles Copelands IRS Records, which no longer exists (although technically part of Universal, having been distributed by A&M, MCA and EMI/Capitol), yet Iommi is said to own the masters now, yet it took a long time to get this done, since it can take more of a wait to get them back than it did to put them out in the first place, as this comes up with other people too (story for another day). I managed to get copies of the studio albums more than once at doable prices, but oftentimes, they can be expensive like other rare albums (you know how it is). I'd like the LPs, as well as Cross Purposes Live, which may be the scarcest of the lot. There could even be unreleased material from the vaults to boot not even on bootlegs, but nothing newly recorded like with the Dio compilation that came out when he was still alive, which warranted the spinoff because only the Ozzy-led group can be Sabbath proper going forward, and that's over for good now, between health and interpersonal issues, but we won't cover any of that today.

Since EMIs sale over a decade ago, it was confusing to tell whether Warner or Universal had the rights to the catalogue. Dehumanizer, the last Dio album with the Sabbath name, was on IRS outside North America and never got deleted, and it appears Universal have that. As for the Martin period, both that and the brief return of the Mob Rules lineup had to compete with the hair bands then grunge if not Britpop, just as the founding members had to contend with punk and new wave in the mid-to-late '70s on top of their first lineup change (with onetime Savoy Brown and Fleetwood Mac member Dave Walker, then Ronnie James Dio in 1979 after Ozzy Osbourne left a second time).

I wouldn't count on The Sabbath Stones collection being in there either since that has tracks from every recorded vocalist but Osbourne (Gillen never appeared on an official original release, while Walker made it to Auntie). The Martin era has built a cult following of its own and will finally see the light of day once again since he said that he can't earn anything from it until it's back in the shops once more.

UPDATE: Anno Domini: 1989-1995 will be released 31 May 2024 by Rhino in the US and Canada and BMG/Virgin elsewhere (this new deal possibly to keep this period in the same boat as the rest of the catalogue before it). Eternal Idol was already reissued, Dehumanizer obviously doesn't belong and is also spoken for, and Cross Purposes Live will have to wait for another day. The IRS name was retired by founder Miles Copeland and Universal. Forbidden will have a new remix by Iommi.